From the mouths of babes....

When people say it bores them to hear the "so called" amusing things other peoples kids say I jump down their throats and tell them to get over themselves!!!

Kids really do say the funniest things....funny because of the innocence and matter of factness with which they say them.

This pencil drawing was inspired by a simple comment from Chunky Monkey, who on spying a pile of new dvd's I'd just purchased(he knows he's not allowed to go through them til I've checked age stuff), asked, "What kind of movie is NAN the Barbarian?"
So here she is in all her glory, fluffy slippers/feather duster and frying pan in hand :D I thought her mighty breast plates should look like pie crusts, and the wrinkled stockings can destroy a man's soul in an instant haha! My Nan/Gran always wore flowery frocks and a pinney, so they were a must have accessory.

I am linking this piece to The Butterfly Effect, a site where insanity in art can be truly appreciated mwahahahaha........:D

Catching up at the Craft Den!

Desperate to craft, I have been inspired to complete 3 layouts I started at classes with Lynne at The Craft Den.

The 1st, we started last night, and I was determined to finish today....

The pic is of me aged 19 with my new baby sister aged 3 weeks, everybody say aaaaaahhhhh!

I now enjoy looking after her baby daughter!!! Where did those years go???

The second is my eldest and friend, aged 5, the day I walked them from Bakewell to Longstone along the Monsal Trail. We hadn't moved in yet so I was "bussing it" each day, with 2 5 year olds, from Sheffield......to Bakewell....then walking 3 miles...carrying stuff...cleaning the house out...then all the way back again....for 2 weeks!!! How nuts was I???

But the boys loved the adventure :D (mines the one with curls and cheesy grin :D)
The 3rd is a gorgeously simple layout, showing off a great photo I got one autumn of the leaves on a young oak tree.

They were just beautiful, and the colours on the papers were perfect for this pic!!

I'm rubish at remembering makes and names of papers, but if you ask Lynne I'm sure she'll know :D

Anyhoo!! Back to the craft desk......I owe Darcy at least 4 journal pages...and I haven't even started Christmas cards yet!!!

:D XXX

New Furniture on the cheap!

Rocking my week this Friday

Now I know some people feel funny about "second-hand" furniture, using everything from "bedbugs" to "they might have come from a dead persons house!!" as reasons not to buy. But I am big on recycling, and that includes furniture, afterall, if they are labelled as "antiques" no one worries about who owned it before!!!

I tend to go on the smell.......if it smells ok it probably is ok :)

So, desperate for a proper table to sit at, I chucked out a seriously damaged sofa and made room....then toddled off(dragged hubby) down to the British Heart Foundation charity shop at Crystal Peaks shopping centre, and found these.....

4 stonking chairs (broad seats for broad bums).....

with a matching, chunky hardwood table.........

a little "yellowy for me, but nothing a couple of coats of varnish can't change. And it opens up bigger!!!!

And your never going to guess how much it was priced up at........£150....table AND chairs!!!!!

"NO WAY!!!" I hear you shriek, but wait...it gets better..."that set has just been reduced to HALF PRICE!!! So it's now only £75!!!!!!!!!!" Somebody stop me SQUUUEEEEEAAAALL!!!!!!!

Similar sets online retail at around £1000!!

So it's got a few bumps and bruises, it will have a lot more before my family has finished with it haha!

Now I turn around and spot this dresser base....rough pine, narrow, 8 draws...ideal for Shorty's narrow room.....£70!!!!
I know my MIL will freak over "second-hand" stuff in the bedroom.....but grief...whats the point of paying humungous amounts of cash for stuff your kids(and hubby) are going to chuck car keys and fizzy pop all over?

My house is a home, and homes get messy(I must have the happiest home on the planet:S)

So this is the thing that Rocked my week the most...what about yours?

Linking to Rocking My World Friday, Dezinaworld Fun Fridays

:D XXX

Look away now!

I told you not to look!!! Hehe!

This piece is titled "Sheesh!! What is wrong with you people???"

This is a Gnaked Gnome :D Just a little something silly people are doing at The Butterfly Effect.

Gregor here is having "privacy" issues. I know the proportions look at bit strange.......he's a gnome!!!

:D XXX

Still no craft desk so see my tats :D

Still haven't had time to do any crafty arty stuff, but I have ordered my new tattoo, so I thought I'd show you the ones I have so far.

I know some people don't like the thought of tattoos for one reason or other, but I see them as another form of art..using your skin as the canvas.

Apparently there are people in Japan who will buy your skin (after your dead) to display the artwork forever! I think this is cool, though I understand many more of you would not ;D

My 1st tat was a present when Hubby got his 1st "Job in a suit" June 2006

The colours and neverending design represent the circle of life, and the healing qualities of the natural world...
followed in July by a matching design on my back....

This one , on my left shoulder, represents a shield boss, my protection against harmful things...

and was my birthday present march 2007

New Years eve 2007/2008, and I asked for a matching bracelet on my right hand(yes my tat guy worked New Years Eve!!!). The buzzy bee with sting is a representation of me/myself and I, working constantly for the good of the hive, yet beware of my retribution....mwahahahaa......

the bracelet continues right around my wrist, with sectioned twists and knots, showing how life is not always as straight forward as we would like to believe.....

and the last I had done was this "Spiral Moon Gazing Hare", which I drew myself (on my right calf) and represents the spirit of the earth, sitting by my side wherever I go in life.

I had this one done for my birthday March this year(needed to test my pain threshold after the surgery thing ....it was fine ;D)

So, there they are...waiting for my newbie...which is going to be awesome...on my right arm/shoulder(sword arm,protect or destroy????).

While we're waiting, here are a couple of picks of Chunky Monkeys "tats" he came home from school with earlier this year. We did have words.......but I think they look so cool

they apparently represent Chakra points???

Gotta love this kid :D XXX

Linking to The Butterfly Effect (where all art is welcome)

Rocking my world this week...

This week my world was TOTALLY ROCKED!!! by my hubby and boyz, who (with the help of my friends) secretly arranged a 2 night stay at the GLORIOUS Ardencote Manor Country Club and Spa :D (smiley face doesn't do justice to how stunned I was.....I cried!).

And yes I am blatantly plugging this place!! The Hotel and Spa staff were so wonderfully friendly(and didn't laugh at me for bursting in to tears at the check in/when having a pedicure/checking out)

Our room was the dorma window in roof, overlooking the lake and grounds, and I know I'm being really gushy, but in the 29 years we have been an item, me and hubby have NEVER had any time away by ourselves(we are soooooo going to do it again!!!)

A country drive took us to Warwick Castle...Always wanted to go there and I was definitely NOT disappointed :D (took 200 photo's haha!)
Then on tuesday afternoon, we found this amazing treasure of a house, Packwood House . It is a National trust property, and has to be seen to be believed...so beautiful inside and out(this is the back door!!)
On the way home on Wednesday, hubby even let me drag him round the Bosworth Battlefield centre, which has a new archeological display(and they now believe they have discovered the actual field where the battle took place!!)

Add to this; 1 manicure, 1 pedicure and an eyelash tint..... and you get one TOTALLY ROCKED, HAPPY, SMILEY Gina :D XXX

(Not a very good photo, but hubby kept messing about :D XXX)

Linking to;

Rocking Your World Fridays

Dezinaworld Fun Fridays

Scary Stuff!!!

I think I've already mentioned the free ning class Amy is running at Flutterbye (it's the Inside Out group), to encourage us to have a go at self portraits.........Well this is my 1st proper attempt.

It took me a week to build up the courage to take my own photo haha :)

I started by trying a pencil drawing to get the features in something like the right place...(I have saved this image onto my computer so that I have it as a base to work from for future pieces)
Then I tried building up more character and detail....scary eyes or what??
and finally messing around with layers of colour and paint and more pencil...
Feel free to laugh, not happy with the final result, but thats what experimenting is all about. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, but I still have the original image to try again, and I do like that image(though it does make me feel really vain to say that :S)

Linking to The Butterfly Effect

WOOHOO!!! My week just got ROCKED!!

Didn't think I was going to have anything nice to blog this week,

But hubby just surprised me with "oh by the way, we are going on honeymoon on monday"

We have been married for 25 years(anniversary was in april), and something always crops up to stop us going out to celebrate, so he and the kids, and my friends have been scheming and booked a short stay near Warwick Castle sqeeeeeeeeeeel!!!

I have always wanted to go there :D

We didn't have a honeymoon, because we got married during the pit closures (hubby was a pit fitter). I never minded, but this is going to be so cool :D

Shorty is home, and my bestest friend is going to keep calling by so that Cunky Monkey doesn't stress too much( he's never away from me much)

Will take loads of pics to show/play with :D XXX

Linking to;

Rocking your world Fridays

Dezinaworld Fun Fridays

2nd post...Totally forgot...

Don't freak at my ancient blessings, I don't when people wish me Happy Christmas!!

Today is the celebration of Lughnasadh(luffnasath) or Lammas, when we give thanks for bread, and the ripening fruits of the land and begin the gathering of such.

It is also a time of reflection, as we mourn the dying of the sun(shortening of the days), and think back on what we may have/or will sacrifice in our lives to ensure a fruitful future. Whether it be our time, energy or material things, what do we need to do to protect those around us in the darker days.

Today I will be making a blackberry and apple crumble with the fruits from my garden(I have cheated and bought crumble mix, lifes too short), the 1st one of the year. It is also the start of "jam making season" in my house, or Autumn as most people call it :D

I hope your day is filled with love, that will carry you through the darker days ahead,

May your cupboards never be empty,

And may your heart be ever happy.

I ask that the Love of the Great Mother wrap around you and yours, and that the Lord of the Wildwoods bless you with wisdom and strength

Blessed Be :D XXX

Nearly forgot....

Haven't felt much like crafting this weekend, just thinking about my friend in her distress.....

but I had made this , and am posting it for The Butterfly Effect's link this week The Perils of Prompts (if you need a bit of mischief in your life right now, check it out ;) ) {that smiley face looks like it has a double chin, just like me!}

This is a gorgeous (but not very expensive) sparkly, I got for the boys to give their Gran for her 80th this month, but the box was a bit boring so.....

I decided to make a new one :D

I had this cardboard one I'd been practising crackle effects on....but it too was way to boring so....

I covered it with PINK tissue paper......

Now it was TOO PINK!!!...... So I covered that with some pretty Floral tissue paper....

and now it looks really cool!! Except the top looked boring so.......

I added flowers :D
and scrunchy pink tissue inside.....

Overall a much more suitable box for such a pretty sparkly :D XXX

This project is for ;

Try It on Tuesdays Altered Present Challenge( Sponsored by The Craft Barn)

Allsorts Challenge#114 Free and Easy July

Corrosive Challenge#127 Manly (it's made for my boys ,my men like flowers!)